From the Nominator

On Dec. 6, 2023, a gunman stormed University of Nevada, Las Vegas’s Frank and Estella Beam Hall, killing three faculty members and seriously injuring another. Within hours, the UNLV web team launched the “UNLV Strong” site, thanks to their prep for a number of emergency scenarios. UNLV Strong’s target audiences included 35,000 UNLV students, faculty, and staff, local, national, and international media, approximately 150,000 UNLV alumni, and community leaders and citizens of the greater Las Vegas area. Objectives included keeping campus safe and informed, leading with empathy in editorial and content, protecting UNLV’s brand through authentic, transparent, and frequent communications and stories, and promoting ways people can help and giving them a voice. The site became the repository of safety announcements, revisions to campus schedules regarding finals and commencement, mental health and safety resources, a place for long-form stories, video, and images, campus leadership messages, and recovery efforts. Although required to react quickly to changing information, the team was strategic and coordinated in building a responsive site. The site received more than 109,000 views from 61,500 users; more than 21% funneled through UNLV’s social media efforts. It hosts four of UNLV’s most-viewed web articles in 2023, 21 leadership messages published between Dec. 6 and Jan. 8, and eight messages published the following semester. Beyond the statistics, the stories of the victims, the survivor, and the UNLV police officers who risked their lives gave voice to our collective grief, resilience, and the selflessness of the human spirit.

From the Judges

This entry is an outstanding example of how to use digital tools in a crisis. The team acted quickly, built a clean and accessible site, and it continued to evolve with relevant, helpful information. Their resilience and thoughtful approach turned a traumatic event into a lasting, supportive resource. The clear messaging, smart updates, and focus on both community and internal needs makes this a model for effective crisis communication.